A subsea bulkhead connector provides a means of connecting a subsea cable to electrical/electronic equipment that reside inside a sealed enclosure. The enclosure can either be one-atmosphere, or oil-filled and pressure balanced. Existing subsea bulkhead connectors are typically one-piece and are affixed to an opening in the enclosure, thereby creating an electrical pass-thru for power and signals. The bulkhead connector's inboard end has contacts that are typically hard-wired (e.g. soldered) to the electrical/electronic equipment that resides within the enclosure. The bulkhead connector's outboard end has contacts that connect with those inside a corresponding mating plug attached to the subsea cable.
The most common type of failure associated with existing subsea bulkhead connectors is bent or broken contacts on the outermost portion. The two most common causes of this are mishandling during mating or un-mating of the cable connector and/or corrosion induced by water ingress.
When existing subsea bulkhead connectors become damaged, the entire part must be replaced. This process typically involves de-soldering electrical conductors from the innermost end, before re-soldering them to the replacement connector. This is a time-consuming process, especially when the enclosure is oil-filled, as the oil must first be drained before the damaged connector can be removed.
The process of replacing an existing subsea bulkhead connector also has certain risks that can lead to subsequent equipment failure, by way of example including miswiring a replacement connector, damaging the seals of the replacement connector during re-assembly, and/or incorrect installation. The result may be loss of water-tight seal and subsequent flooding of the enclosure when it returns subsea. With oil-filled enclosures, failure to adequately purge all air when re-filling can also result in water ingress when the enclosure returns subsea.